


Shattered

by orphan_account



Category: Loki Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 23 years in the future, Alternate Universe, Eve figures out who he is, Evgenia visits Loki, F/M, Family meeting, Finally, Frigga Saves the day!, Frigga didnt die!, I dont know what my obsession was with blue this chapter, Loki doesnt want her to be afriad of him, Loki is taken to a hospital, Lots of sad feels in the first chapter, Odin cant handle magic, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Romanov&Barton Kid, She stays, She's awesome, She's not pleased, Stark&Potts Kid, Sweet, Thor and Eve are part of the best family in the world, anyway, i love frigga, im sorry, no, odin is a terrible parent, she doesn't
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evgenia is the daughter of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s best agents, that being said she grew up around people like Thor and Bruce Banner, and the existence of aliens.<br/>When her and the Avengers are invited to Asgard Eve makes a terrible mistake. She takes a wrong turn. And somehow ends up cradling the God of Mischief and Lies in her arms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have absolutely no idea how I got this ridiculous idea, but in all fairness I have had stranger. Basically I wondered what Loki would be like if his mind was healed and he had to take the pain of his actions in a different type of punishment. And I really wanted Loki with a character that he would relate to on a different level the most of the characters he interacts with. 
> 
> I know, not beta'd but if you know me then you know that creative sprit decides to wake up at 1:30 in the morning and post at 3, so but the end of it going back and reading it over and over again is deathly exhausting so I will work out all the kinks later. 
> 
> I will continue this, but I need to edit my storyline a bit more before I do more. Feel free to post any ideas you have in the comments, I always read them. 
> 
> Well enjoy!

Loki woke that morning with a instant wave of dread. Today Thor and Jane would be celebrating their son's 17 birthday. Its not like he despised his nephew, just the days when Thor would rub it in his face that Loki had no one.

After the convergence Thor lived in Midgard with Jane for a while before coming back to Asgard. Odin honored Loki for his actions of helping Thor to defeat Malekith and was awarded his life in Asgard back. Everything seemed fine for about 6 years in Midgard's time, but then Jane and Thor had to come busting back into the palace with a small bundle of joy they had named Erik after Jane's recently deceased friend.

That gave Thor the spotlight and the throne. Their mother had healed Loki's mind but his envy for Thor still burned painfully in his stomach. Not envy for the throne so much as envy for the person beside him. It just reminded him that no one could ever love him, they always saw the monster on the outside and not then man on the inside. He looked like the same psychopathic murder from 25 years ago, his face hadn't changed in the last 30 years, and it wasn't going to for a while, how could anyone see through the same face that destroyed New York and say 'I love you.' Yet then again, he had lost his more mature look when Frigga removed the illnesses from his mind, took away more then 50 years. He look a little bit younger than he did when Thor was first banished to Midgard.

Loki lifted himself up, the green silk blanket fell down his bare chest.  He ran his fingers through his hair, he had kept it cut sort in the formal way that he used to, it was usually greased back but now it just hung free at his face. The sun was already spilling afternoon light into his room, he had slept in. Loki swung his legs over the side of his bed, his feet making contact with the warm golden floor.

He could already hear the maids bustling around outside in the halls, today was going to be a long and certainly painful day for Loki.

* * *

 Evgenia sat with William as they waited for his parents to get there. William was the son of the famous Tony Stark, yet looked more like his mother, Pepper. He had pale blond hair and a slender build, but his eyes were a deep brown like Tony's. Tony and Pepper were getting back from a intergalactic meeting with her and William's fake uncle, also known as the God of Thunder.

William fidgeted with the Rolex on his wrist as they waited in silence. Her parents were clearing things up with S.H.E.I.L.D. before there departure. Soon they would be heading off to Asgard to celebrate Erik's birthday, yet because of the half-god part of him, the prince was still a small baby. Her and William were both 25, he was born first less than a year after The New York Battle, she was born five months after him.

Her mother surprised everyone with the pregnancy, she said it almost gave Nick a heart attack. Evgenia didn't look a lot like her father, but they stared the same green hazel eyes. She took after her mother in more then one way. Eve had coppery red hair and the same complexion as her mother. But also had the skills and the Black Widow as well, not only physically but she also was an impressive liar. Her father taught her much about archery, but she never picked up the passion like he did, instead she found herself with daggers in each hand. Her father taught her how to aim, so it was easy to learn many skills with throwing them. Soon she impressed S.H.E.I.L.D. with her abilities and found herself working for them at age 18. William followed a more scientific rout, but still dawned an Iron Man suit once in a while to work along side his father on certain projects.

Eve's head snapped up, there were bustling footsteps coming down the hall, JARVIS announced Tony and Peppers enter before the came through the door.

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony muttered as he hurried into the room and went straight to the bar. "Your welcome Sir." JARVIS replied. Pepper was following Tony with a StarkTab, completely engulfed in the holograms depicting Asgard. She was scanning through the streets and buildings.

"Mom, you know there are people who are picking us up at the Bifrost, right? You don't need to find the fastest way to the palace." William said with a sigh, he had a small English accent from spending time in England with his parents for about four years on a mission to fix up Greenwich and update it with Stark buildings. Pepper glanced at her son before giving him a playful sneer, William rolled his eyes and got up.

"I assume we're leaving as soon as Nat and Clint get here, Bruce is down in the Lab and Steve is on his floor doing..." William paused and thought for a moment. "What does he do?" Everybody shrugged and Pepper went back to focusing on holograms while Tony was pouring scotch.

A buzzing sound caught Eve's attention, she glanced down at the phone that was going ballistic on the glass coffee table. She glanced at the caller, she faintly smiled and picked up the phone before answering.

"Hey Mom." Eve said, Tony perked up before grabbing a nearby StarTab.

"Eve, we just got done talking to Fury, we'll be there in five minutes." Her mother said, but before Eve could reply her mother's live cam was displayed on the holographic TV. Evgenia saw a dark expression cross her mother's face.

"Tony, was that necessary?" She asked, her words dripping with annoyance. Tony just smiled and waved. "Hello!" Natasha rolled her eyes, but Tony continued to talk. "Listen, once you get here we're leaving for Asgard. Thor said Heimdall is already waiting for us."

"Got it." Natasha whispered and the sound of a roaring engine pounded through the speakers, she was flying one of her favorite jets. Just then Eve's dad showed up in the cockpit, a warm smile flooded his face. "Hi Evie!" He said in his sweet tone. No one expected her father to be as devoted a dad as he truly was, but then again, no one expected for the two best assassins of the last century to have a kid.

"Hey dad!" Eve mused, though she was 25, her and her father still kept a tight relationship. "Clint hurry up and sit down, we'll be there soon." Natasha whispered to him.

 

And in no time the jet landed on top of the tower and her mother and father were already at Evgenia's side. At that point Steve had reemerged from his apartment and Bruce had come out of the Lab. They had all gathered out on the balcony where the Bifrost could pick them up. She was standing close to William, the Bifrost always messed with her. William glanced at her and noticed her apparent queasiness, with a faint smile he took her hand. They were closer then siblings, he knew that she never liked traveling through the Bifrost, but his hand made the terrible feeling fade away.

Steve stepped up and yelled at the sky. "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

* * *

Loki watched as guests came pouring in from all the nine realms. Thor would be returning with his Midgardian friends soon, it was one of the worst parts of the hole affair. Seeing all the faces of people who still had a death wish on him. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind him.

"How's it going Trickster?" Loki smiled and turned around to see one of Jane's best friends Darcy standing there in a regal blue gown. He didn't respond to her. "I know this is kinda hard on you." She whispered as she stepped up beside him. "But no one likes you when you're like this."

His stomach knotted. "Don't you have your own matters to attend to?" He sneered. "I thought you would be enjoying time with your husband and children."

Darcy shrugged. "Fandral is showing off the twins to Hogun." She sipped at the glass of wine she was holding and sighed. "Who knows, maybe you will find someone here who will give you twins to brag about one day." She said cheerfully rested a hand on his shoulder, he had gotten so used to Darcy's ridiculous behaviors over the years he didn't even care about her breaking his 'no touching' rule.

"You are full of false hope." He sighed with a thin breath. She rolled her eyes. "I'm going, your dinner plate would be more entertaining then you." She moved away into a crowd of people. He felt a painful stab of guilt, he knew Darcy was just trying to help. But he didn't need help, and he certainly didn't need _Darcy's_ help to be happy.   

"Prince Loki, Prince Thor has sent for you." A servant spoke, he sighed before dismissing the maid and heading off to meet Thor's best friends that all wanted his head.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

They were all locked in a deadly stare, Loki and the rest of the Avengers. Clint eyed him the worst, his hazel eyes attacked him with force. While Natasha could breath and you would be running scared. Then there was The Proud Captain America who look just as righteous as ever. The beast seemed to be fine, but not particularly happy.

Thor shook hands with an unfamiliar man, he was young 24-25, he had sandy blond curls and darker brows. The man was lean and wore a navy blow blazer with white dress pants. It didn't take long for Loki to see the resemblance to Stark, they had the same dark brown eyes and rough look around the face. But the young man look much more like Tony's wife Pepper.

"Loki, I don't believe you have met William, I believe you were hiding the last time my friends visited." Thor patted Loki on the back, it made him feel even more out of place. He barely kept his head up to shake hands with William.

"You look like a kid." Tony piped up, Bruce nodded and Thor's laugh boomed around them. An embarrassed blush crept up on his face. Thor took a moment to speak between his laughter. "He looks 800, does he not?" Loki pulled away from Thor.

"If you would excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." Loki said as dignified as he could. Thor just embarrassed him like he had done when they were children, more knots began to form in his stomach. He could still hear Thor behind him as he fled the scene. "He acts as though he is a shy teenager now!" The Avengers began to laugh along with Thor. "So much for super villain!" Tony chuckled out. "He looked like a hurt puppy!" Clint laughed.

Loki couldn't find more relief when he found an empty court yard to hind in. Instantly he cast a blinding spell over so no one could see him. He choked out a painful sob and icy tears fell down his face. He didn't even know what he was doing but a feeling inside him took over and he crumbled to his knees. All of the memories of his childhood came rushing back to him.

He remembered the times when he was a young child Thor, Fandral and Volstagg tormented him for being talented with magic. It is a _very_ feminine practice in Asgard, they would tell him to go and weave baskets while they slayed the monsters. They once gave him knockout powder and when he woke up they had put him in girls clothing. Thor found it all as harmless joking, but every word created a deeper scar on his self esteem. Loki couldn't stop the tears that poured, he felt pain from his memories as a child, he felt guilty for New York and every life he hurt, he felt everything and it was hurting more than any torture he had ever endured.

His throat and eyes began to burn, it was as if every one he had ever wrong had just dumped their feelings on his heart. He looked at the sky, looked at the realms and the stars and the constellations his mother had taught him. He found a familiar one in the bundle of glowing orbs in the sky. It was ten stars that formed an arch, it was said to be the gateway to Valhalla. He stared at the stars that were supposed to give him hope, that were supposed to be the paradise after hell. But instead the stars just hurt to look at more.

He could do nothing but let out every ounce of emotion that was in him, and through muffled sobs he screamed. "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!" He looked at a star that symbolized Odin's father. "IS THIS MY PUNISHMENT!" His throat felt like dusty sandpaper but he continued to weep and yell. "I REGRET EVERYTHING! I HAVE REGRETED EVERYTHING FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS!" He knew no one could hear him, he knew that no one would answer his screams. Another wave of overpowering emotion crashed over him, and in a blinding fit he tore his helmet off his head and threw it at the statue of Odin's mother.

The gold shattered with a green shimmer and fell to tiny pieces at the statue's feet. Loki stared at it, his eyes burned from the tears but he felt his heart begin to slow down. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that his helmet was gone or the fact that he threw something but the pain died away and he was left with nothing but an empty feeling.

"Are you okay?" A sweet voice spoke behind him, one he had never heard before. No one should be able to see him, or hear him. Reluctant to show his face, Loki looked over his shoulder.

Standing in one of the archways to the courtyard was a young woman. She had coppery red hair that felt to her shoulders in soft waves, her clothing she was from Midgard but he hadn't seen her with the rest of the Avengers. She didn't look terrified of him like most people do, she looked worried, her hand were clasp together in a nervous gesture. _She doesn't know who I am._ Loki thought to himself. Her dark eyes reflected the star light like a million blue lanterns.

Loki opened his mouth to talk, but closed it when he realized that he didn't have any words to speak. The young woman let her hands fall to her sides as she took a few steps closer to him. Normally he would have refused her to approach him, but every muscle in his body ached from giving all his energy in his terrified screams. Slowly she knelt beside him, she was quite short next to him, but he felt like a tiny child beside her.

"Are you okay?" She asked again, searching for his gaze, but he was actively avoiding it. She pushed a piece of his hair out of his face, Loki was frozen in his place, unable to move or refuse any of her soft gestures. "Do you need anything?" She questioned, when someone usually asked him this question he was answer with a remark about how anything they could to he could do himself, but something was entrancing about her behavior. She didn't know him, which means she had no reason to be scared of him.

Everyone in the palace, even after Frigga healed him kept their distance from him, he couldn't remember the last time someone wasn't scared of him. Her hand was still pushing past the many strands of hair that had fallen in his face. He found energy to only press his hand against hers. She froze at first from his movement, but he could feel her relaxing. He let her see his eyes only because he wanted to see hers.

They were a brown and green hazel that looked utterly beautiful with her red hair, the coppery color was drowned out by the pale blue light of the stars. She stared back into his eyes, he wished he could see what she saw, if she could see the monster that lay beneath him. He gulped so he could speak, even when he did his voice was hoarse and scratchy.

"Who are you?" He whispered. Her head tilted a bit and a faint smile fluttered across her pale face. "Evgenia."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We figure out why Loki is in so much pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I didn't post this sooner, I just wasn't happy with what I had so I was constantly changing it. I got engaged to so I took a bit of a break from writing to spend with my fiancée.
> 
> Again, not beta'd because I don't have a beta but I did go back and fix the mistakes I could find. So if there are still mistakes, at least you can remember that there used to be a lot more! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and comment, kudos, bookmark or what every you want to do! just hope you like this chapter!

**10 minutes earlier...**

Eve followed silently behind the rest of her little family as they first entered the palace, to afraid that if she opened her mouth the fried pork she had for lunch might want a closer look at Asgard. William hand wandered closer to the front of the group while Eve was perfectly fine staying behind in the back. Most of the Avengers were catching up with Thor, the last time she had seen him was when the ocean creatures from Jupiter attacked Seattle, it was the first time she worked with the Avengers as an official agent. Eve could see Steve checking his phone every few minutes for a text from his wife Maria, another S.H.E.I.L.D. marriage. They were getting to be a common occurrence, though her parents never really got married everyone just says they are, Steve and Maria got married when Eve was about 10, then there was Thor and Jane if that counts. Jane was working at S.H.E.I.L.D. when her and Thor got married and Thor is legally an Avenger so she would assume it counts even though they moved to Asgard about two hours after tying the knot. 

 Eve gagged as a disgusting bile rose in her throat. The smell from the stables was being carried by the wind. Clint heard the noise and turned back to her, clutching her hand in his. "Evie, what's wrong?" He asked the grouped stopping at this point to turn their attention to Eve. She swallowed, the taste burned in her throat like fire. "The Bifrost got to my stomach." another gag interrupted her but she caught her words before completely escaped her mouth. "Is there a bathroom near here?"

Thor nodded. "Just down that hallway." He pointed to wide stretch of long halls. "Not to worry Eve, the Bifrost gets to us all on the first trips." He broad smile crossed his face. "You should have seen Loki's first trip, couldn't stand straight for a week." As soon as Thor uttered the words even Eve knew not to gag. Loki was Clint's trigger, it usually set him off in a destructive rage. From a young age she was warned never to go near him if she even got in such a dangerous situation, Thor never pressed the issue with his brother as much as the others did. Thor lowered his gaze.

"Go Eve, before we have to clean your stomach of this floor." Thor said halfheartedly. Eve didn't say anything before she raced off down the hall, her throat began to fill with her lunch again. She ran down the hall that Thor pointed too, it ended with a door, she assumed the bathroom was on the other side.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Eve walked out of the bathroom 5 minutes later with a pale face and an empty stomach. She wasn't pale just because she had just emptied her stomach into a pink marble sink, it was the fact that they had a fifty yard solid gold swimming pool in a bathroom. Eve felt disorientated and stumbled back the way she came. Or she thought that it was the way she came, everything in Asgard was just gold and stone columns. She kept headed north in hopes she would find the rest of her family. With her mind spinning she couldn't navigate the palace correctly she ended up headed towards a draft that came from her left. She kept her hand on the wall for support as she followed the draft down an unlit hallway, she could only see pale light at the end.

Slowly she reached the end of the curving corridor. It opened up into open archways that lead into an empty courtyard. Or at least she thought it was empty, but she could hear screaming as if it was coming from right in the middle of the garden. Eve leaned on an archway and focusing on the yelling. It was painful to hear, from what she could tell it was a young man that sounded as though he was from Asgard. She heard sobbing between the words.

Eve suddenly felt as though she was hit with a large blast of wind, taking the breath away from her. It wasn't until she began to breath again that she noticed a man had appeared in the courtyard. A dark green cape was draped around his shoulders and spilled at the ground he seemed to have fallen on. She could tell but the heaving of his shoulders that it was him who was sobbing. Gold horns poked out above his shoulders, another one of Asgard's ridiculous idea's of helmet design, but those gold horns seemed familiar to her. She was startled when he snatched the helmet from his hand and threw it at a statue of a beautiful woman holding a tiger.

The helmet shattered into a million pieces that all gave off a green glow. The light died away leaving tiny pieces of metal laying around at the feet of the woman and tiger. The man silenced and raised his head to see the shattered helmet. When he raised his head she could seen the dark slicked back hair that was disheveled and losing the greased look. It seemed that the man was just as broken as the helmet, that he had problems beyond repair. From the sobbing to the screaming to the helmet tossing, he must have been hurt.

An unwanted feeling began to grown inside of her. Sympathy, affinity, empathy? Oh she despised empathy, but that feeling had a mind of its own and instead of turning back and leaving the boy to his own devices, it spoke.

"Are you okay?"

* * *

"Evgenia." She whispered. Loki relished the name, soaked it in, every breath of every letter sounded more beautiful then the last. "Evgenia." He whispered back, unable to reply actual sentences. She took his other hand, her skin was soft, like fresh silk.

"Who are you?" She asked. He felt another stab in his chest. He didn't want to lie to her, not to her. _Why not to her? What has gotten into you?_ No matter how easy it would be to lie, something brought the fatal words down his throat before they could be spoken. _She doesn't know you. She's not scared of you._

"I don't think you want to know who I am." He answered quietly. Her sad smile returned and fell almost instantly. "Okay." She whispered under her breath. "What are you doing here?" She added and sat down completely on the cold ground while he was still crumpled on his knees.

This time he could give her an honest answer. "I don't know." his voice caught in his strained throat. He racked his brain to figure out what had happened minutes before, _What had happened to him? How did Evgenia see past his barriers?_ Loki checked his magic to make sure that they were still up.

They were and stronger than ever. He gave her a puzzled look. "How did you see through my magic?" His voice was returning. She responded to him with a expressionless stare, just her lovely green gaze cascading over him like a cold shower after days of endless heat. Her strong stare fell to his and her hands, they're fingers had intertwined themselves with each other.

"You let me in." She spoke the words as if her mind wasn't the one in control. Loki couldn't respond, he couldn't answer her. She had seen him in his most vulnerable state and everything was telling him to flee her intoxicating grasp. But it felt as if every emotion in him was heightened, enhanced, he felt it ten times more and it was tearing him apart from every angle. So all he could to was stay on his knees bowing before his deceased family and beg for mercy and be completely exposed to a girl he never met. She was seeing him in tatters, broken shards of a decorative window, his helmet was gone. The most iconic piece of him was laying, shattered, in the grass. Like him.

He was barely more then any other Asgardian now. Not a prince, not a war criminal wanted on Midgard, he was nothing anymore. He gripped her hand tighter as another wave of pain smashed against him like a hoard of stampeding elephants. The force of his knocked him on his side as he struggled for another breath. He could barely hear the small gasp that escaped Evgenia's lips as he fell over. She was instantly in front of him and retook his hand.

With the other hand she lifted his head up and laid it on her lap. He chest was still twisting with unspeakable pain but her soft voice reassured him that everything was going to be okay. His breaths were ragged and thin, between the continuous constrictions in his chest. He could only imaged what it was like for Evgenia to see him like this, even though this is only how she has ever seen him. Tears streamed down his face, once in a while landing on one of Evgenia's hands.

He felt his fingers begin to freeze with an icy bite. One thin glance at his hand and Loki could see that his Jotunn for was beginning to show through all the pain. His eyes flicked to Evgenia, it hurt more to see her terror then to feel the pain that kept coming at him in forceful waves. Loki could feel his blue skin slowly crawling up his arms and spreading out around his chest. He bit his lip as he felt a rib fracture, forcing his screams down.

"What's going on?" Evgenia whispered, Loki couldn't answer her. He was completely lost in his pain to even think about the force behind it. Loki opened his mouth to reply but the only sound he could make was a pitiful whine. The blue transformation had finished, every where he felt cold, like someone had put him alone in an ice storm.

"Don't die." She pleaded. "I don't know you, but don't die." He took a deep breath, every movement in his chest made him want to cry in pain. With all he had, Loki whispered to her in thin breaths.

"I don't want to die."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Odin watched the scene play out in the mirror, it hurt him to see Loki in such pain, but in the end he deserved it. But something was nagging at Odin in the back of his mind.

 _It shouldn't be hurting this much._ He thought. His curse was only supposed to make him feel more remorse for his actions, to feel guilt. It wasn't supposed to physically hurt him, just emotionally, a twinge of pain in his chest every time he thought of the lives he had destroyed. He made it so the first time he saw the Avengers tonight the hex would begin, Odin had taken his place in front of the mirror to see if it had worked. His heart lurched when he heard the things that the Avengers said to him, of course Loki had dealt with petty bullying all his life, but something had got to him this time. But the Avengers had every right to say that about him, he deserved every word after what he had done.

The woman Loki was with sparked curiosity within him, he had never seen the Midgardian before and Loki didn't know her either. So why would she help a man she didn't know? Even as Loki reverted to his Jotunn form she stayed by his side, something was compelling her to comfort him.

It honestly surprised Odin that any woman who have interest in Loki, just by looking at him most Asgardian maidens found him too feminine and weak. It was heart breaking to see men sneak out of his bedchambers the morning after a feast they had hosted with expressions of shame painted along their face. No king would like to have a son who choose male lovers, but it was clearly obvious that Loki was attracted to women as well. Loki had never been open to discuss who he laid with in bed at nights, Thor usually boasted about it proudly, which drew a larger crowd of women around him.

Odin sat starring at the scene that unfolded before him, Loki was shaking in pain and the woman was whispering to him. He felt somewhat guilty about putting Loki through this pain, but it was for his own good, end the end Odin was saving him.

"You beast!" Odin whipped his head around to see Frigga standing in the threshold, her hands were balled into fists and her face was red with tears. Odin stood from his luxurious seat to face his infuriated wife.

"My dear-" He began but Frigga cut him off. "Why would you wish this pain upon our son!" She screamed more tears rushed down her face.

"He is not our son, not anymore. He is still a monster who committed the most horrid of crimes." Odin paused. "I was only trying to make him feel remorse for his actions." 

Frigga shook her head. "He does feel remorse, and guilt and everything. You just made him experience all the pain his former self caused when he didn't do it." Odin stayed in his place, contemplating her words.

"After Loki came back from the Dark World, his mind was too far gone for me to heal." She was choking on her tears. "So I did the only thing I could. I turned back his age to before he ever did those poisonous acts. His mind was healed and his heart was pure. But he still had the memories of what he did and I can tell you he fought with his remorse everyday!"

Odin kept silent, reflecting on the severity of his actions.

"He never wanted to be like his former self, and strove to do good. He is a child Odin, experiencing all the pain of something he didn't do." She looked him in the eye, her voice was stead. "You have given him the pain of every one he had hurt. Every broken bone, every last breath, all the scars he left on people. And him-" She pointed to the mirror where Loki still laid in the woman's arms. "-His body is going to survive until every scratch has been experienced until he is nothing but a broken shell of our son."

Frigga walked up to Odin with a pleading face. "I beg you, stop this now."


	3. Because He's Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's Blue

Okay, so he was blue. No big deal, she had seen stranger. But he was blue, writhing in pain from an invisible force and felt like an ice cube. She couldn't help but wonder if he had a really bad case of spontaneous frostbite. But that didn't really explain his crimson eyes, if he wasn't crying and his face wasn't twisting with pain, he looked beautiful when he was blue.

But he was, he was lying on the ground, gasping for every next breath and she didn't know what to do. This wasn't usual, in S.H.E.I.L.D. training she was calm, she knew exactly how to fix the situation with the resources around her. But he was blue, he was blue and he looked like he was dying, and she had never dealt with frostbitten smurf who was possibly going into cardiac arrest.

"Don't die." She whispered, partly with out her conscious decision. "I don't know you, but don't die!" She couldn't deal with people dying, not on her watch. It had only happened once, on a covert mission in Japan, but that was one to many times for her. She could barely revisit the memories with out feeling Leo's blood soaked hands in hers. No, even now she couldn't go back there, it hurt too much.

"I don't want to die." he whispered, she could hear him struggling. Good, she thought, that's nice. He didn't want to die. Now she just needed to figure out how to stop the death from coming to him. She heard an eerie cracking, she could only assume it was another one of his ribs. But one glance at his other hand, she saw the way his wrist was twisted unnaturally. She could hear his faint whimpers, his chest was heaving and his breath was coming out in ragged breaths.

She readjusted her self so she was cradling his upper body and his head was in the crook on her elbow. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and drained on her forearm. She didn't really care that her skin was now stained with inky black blood because even after the silent screams she could see coming off of him, he was beautiful and he was blue.

"I, I don't know what to do. You have to tell me what's going on." She stared right into his eyes, she wasn't sure what emotion flashed in the red orbs but it disappeared faster then it came.

"I don't know what's happening." He whispered, this time more fluent, his accent was beautiful, it made the words less painful to hear.

"Okay." She nodded and squeezed his hand harder. "Okay, then just." She couldn't find the words she needed to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, she couldn't even reassure herself, because the beautiful man that had his head cradled in her arm was blue. "Just keep talking to me. Keep your eyes on me and try to stay awake."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"Odin I'm begging you!." Her words were furious now, choking on her own tears. Odin didn't know how to answer his wife, it pained him more then anything to see her like this. But he couldn't stop it now, he wasn't sure how.

"I cant." He said, avoiding the look in Frigga face. She stepped back as if he was a beast, stared at him with the most horrified expression.

"You cant." She whispered to herself. "You put our son in this pain, in this grotesque punishment and never once thought that you might have needed to cease it at a point. You were just going to let him be inches from death so many times till he begged for mercy again and again. But he has, he has begged for your forgiveness more times then any, he cried at your feet and you kicked him away!"

Odin watched as his wife inched closer to the door. "You." She whispered. "Are not the many I fell in love with." She shook her head. "You have been a worse father to him then Laufey ever could have!" And with that she ran out, her golden dress trailed behind her. Odin felt like she had just thrown him on the ground and broken him into a thousand pieces. He knew she was right, every word she said was true. The horror he must have caused to be compared to Laufey.

Odin closed his eyes silently, a tears fell down his cheek as he prayed for Loki's survival.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Eve tried to keep him talking, to make sure he didn't surrender to death. "Why were you crying?" She whispered. "When I found you, why were you crying?"

He shrugged painfully. "Guilt, remorse, the realization of the monster I used to be." He whispered back, his words were stronger now, it seemed as though the pain was dying down but now he was just doing a better job of hiding it.

"I don't think you could ever be a monster, not even if you look like a smurf on steroids." She laughed weakly at her own joke, but he just had a confused expression on his face. "Sorry." She apologized instantly. "Don't tell blue people smurf jokes. Life lesson number 58."

"You are beautiful, Evgenia. I am pleased that the last face I see will be yours."

"You should be pleased to know that you're not dying. Not now, not while I'm here." She wasn't going to let him die, she couldn't. Because he was blue.

"You don't even know who I am." He smiled slightly, as if it was good that she didn't. But she shook her head.

"I know exactly who you are." His face fell, and his crimson eyes where tainted with worry. "You're the crying boy in the courtyard." She finished.

A woman came running in the courtyard from the opposite corridor that Eve entered from, a golden gown flowed two steps behind her. "Loki!" She screamed as she fell by his side.

"Or." Eve choked. "You're Loki Odinson, the man who brainwashed by father, stole the Tesseract, killed over 200 hundred people and destroyed Manhattan in under and hour."

A painful smile sparked at the corners of his mouth. "Monster." He whispered.

Her world froze, the beautiful man that needed help, that was crying in the courtyard was Loki, he was Loki and he was blue. But for some reason she couldn't find, she still held his hand. The only answer she could think of is because he was the boy crying in the courtyard, because he didn't want to die, because he was blue.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Thor and Jane watched as the hall filled with their quests. Erik was beside them in a golden cradle, wrapped tightly in warm furs. His thin brown hair was poking out in odd directions but the little child smiled non the less. Everything was perfect, Jane was here, his friends were here. But there seemed to be four things missing. 1. His Father 2. His Mother 3. Loki 4. Evgenia.

Clint and Natasha searched high and low for her, but couldn't find any sign of her. Thor promised them that she must have wandered off and that he told the guards to keep a look out for the sarcastic redhead. Loki had run off who knows where and probably wasn't going to turn up for a week, but that was painfully common for him to do lately. Odin had been hiding all night and Frigga was probably on the hunt for the missing Loki.

Erik let out a howl of discomfort for some odd reason, he just does that. Jane picked up the whaling babe and held him close to her chest. Thor gave her a look of sympathy, but she just smiled back, signaling that she was absolutely fine holding her screaming child.

"Prince Thor!" His head snapped to a young guard standing by the entry way. "The Queen has requested to see you in the healing wing." The hall went silent, every one had their faces turned to Thor. He instantly jumped up, what could've happened? He left Jane and Erik, who was now reaching out and crying for his departing father.

Thor raced through the castle, desperate to get there, he couldn't stand to linger on the thought of his mother being hurt. In no time in was in the healing wing. Relief flooded over him as he saw Frigga nervously pacing outside one of the room. He ran to her.

"Mother, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He began searching her for any ailments, all he could find was dry tear tracks down her cheeks.

"No, I am fine. But Loki..." her voice trailed off. Thor froze in his place, no matter how much he teased his younger brother, he loved Loki till the end. Without a second glance at his sobbing mother he rushed into the room.

Healers were crowded over a bed, he couldn't get a good look at his brother. He pushed a few nurses out of the way to get closer to him.

Loki had reverted to his Jotunn form, he barely looked awake, he just laid there with small fidgeting movements attacking his arms. Frigga came up behind him.

"We have sedated him, he feels no physical pain." She whispered. Thor could feel small tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes, Loki looked as though he was dead.

"What happened to him?" he asked forcing his eyes away from the clearly broken bones and deep gashes along his body. The nurses had stripped him of his clothing, a blanket was over his lower body. Thor could see large slices along his chest and a stab wounds in his sides.

"Mother, what vile being did this to him?" Thor asked again, this time tears fell as his body shook from anger. Ever since Frigga had healed Loki's mind, he acted like a much younger then he was, almost like time had been reversed. That made Thor feel more protective over him, more responsible for his younger sibling, seeing him like this caused a feeling of guilt wash over him.

"Your father did this, Thor." Frigga whispered. Thor turned to her in shock. "What?" he exclaimed

"He put a hex on Loki, one that I cannot reverse. He will not die until he has experienced the pain he caused to every soul he wronged."

Thor stood there, dumbstruck. "Why would Odin wish this pain upon him?"

Frigga shook her head. "He didn't. When I attempted to heal your brother's mind, the spells wouldn't work. So I did what I had to do to save him, I turned him into his younger self. Decades before all this chaos began."

"That's why? He acts like an teenager, because he is one?"

She nodded. "Odin had no knowledge that this Loki" She pointed to the blue man on the bed. "he never wronged anybody, so the hex was warped. Orginially it was to make him feel more guilt, to have remorse and regret his actions. But since this Loki never did any of that, the hex didn't know what to do and warped itself so he would actually experience every pain that the older Loki ever gave someone."

Thor didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Trust in his father crumbled, and the guilt he felt only got deeper. The worlds stopped for him nothing seemed right. But a sobbing noise broke through the trance he was in, it was coming from the corner of the room.

He stretched his gaze to see a sarcastic redhead leaning on a wall, facing way from them.

"Evgenia?" He called to her. Eve turned around, her face slightly red. "I didn't know." She whispered. Thor beckoned for her to come closer to him, she did.

"I found him, crying in the courtyard, I- I didn't know it was him. I'm not supposed to meet him, everyone told me never see him." Her voice was drowned out by sobs. He embraced his niece.

"It's okay Evie, its okay." he whispered. "Did he hurt you?" Thor asked, he wouldn't put it past Loki to attack someone if they got to close to him.

"No." She whispered, Thor sighed in relief. "He was sweet, he was kind, he let me help him." Thor was shocked by her words. "And I stayed there, even after I knew, I stayed there because." she paused. "Because he's blue." Thor buried his face in her copper silk hair, she felt something for Loki. Thor could tell, and it pained him to know it because Loki never loves someone back.

"Is he going to be okay?" She said between quiet sobs. Thor pulled out of the embrace to look at her face to face, he cupped her cheek with his hand. "Don't worry about him, Eve. We'll keep him safe."

She nodded and whipped a tear from her reddened face. Thor laid his hand on her shoulder. "Go, you're parents need you." She gave him a faint smile before nodding and walking out. He turned back to his brother who looked more awake now.

"Thor." he whispered, Thor rushed beside him and took his blue hand.

"Yes brother, I'm here."

Loki stared at Thor for a moment before speaking in a weary voice. "Is she afraid of me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has a visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter, but I am currently juggling three fics and a novel, plus my job and rehearsals for a play. So I know that I need to post sooner but I really don't have the time to write a long chapter and post it quickly. You can thank my fiancée for this chapter because she threated to put a picture of me sleeping on the couch watching Doctor Who as the screen savor at the Apple Store if I didn't post it. So let's give a round of applause for the blackmailing fiancée.
> 
> Not beta'd, you should know that by now.

Evgenia felt dead inside, like her world had been turned upside down. She sat beside William and her mother for the rest of the night, not really answering their questions on where she was and what she was doing.

How could she answer them, tell them that she was just spending a prolonged amount of time cradling the God of Mischief in her arms? No, she couldn't say anything, and she didn't, just quant nods and cold whispers. So she sat there, like a shell, a mask so no one could see how broken she felt inside. But what was even more agitating, she didn't regret it. She couldn't say that keeping him from death was fun, but she still stayed by his side even after she found out who he was, and that was not like her at all.

Her gaze fell to her hand. It looked normal, it really did. But she could still see the faded stains of his blood on her forearm, She could still feel his cold hand grasping hers. She couldn't forget him that easily, she couldn't, it was impossible to get the image of his greens eyes fading into the glowing crimson, or the pure beauty he was when he was blue out of her mind. Which, still, no one had explained to her why he looked like a smurf Calvin Klein model.

The food in front of her was left untouched, she didn't feel like eating as much as she still felt like vomiting. She jumped a bit when she felt a hand on her back, William was starring at her with his warm brown eyes.

"Eve, you've been silent all night, are you sure you're okay?" He asked her in his sweet Englishy voice. She paused a moment before giving him a quiet answer.

"I'm fine, Will. I really am. The Bifrost really got to my stomach this time I guess." He knew it was a lie, she could see it in his eyes. But like the perfect gentleman he is, William just nodded and didn't pry any further. She was grateful for his respect for her privacy, right now privacy was the only thing keeping her sane.

The rest of the night went smoothly, Thor returned without a word of where he was to his guests. No one really cared for Loki and more, one mention of him usually sent a crowd into silence, here and on Earth. So no one quested why Loki's and Frigga's thrones were left empty. Odin came in for a brief moment only to have Thor quietly dismiss him. Unlike the way she normally found Odin to be, he just nodded and left, shame radiating off him in waves.

She didn't really see the point in celebrating this much for Erik's birthday, all he did was drool and cry the whole night. But The Avengers and her and William were all placed around Erik, Jane and Thor and had an instant painting of them made. William was quietly complaining that he didn't under stand the technology they used to have an oil painted created in seconds. Him and Tony discussed it for about an hour afterword. She rolled her eyes, she never liked science. It was to boring. Stabbing, now stabbing was fun, why couldn't she just stab something? Guess she missed out with the roasted boar.

Eve, however, found the painting to be beautiful. The rich gold colors complemented the various colors they all wore. Thor was dressing in his usual celebratory armor and red cape. Jane had a dark blue Asgardian gown on and her hair tied up with pieces of brown hair falling gracefully to her shoulders. All the Avengers, including Jane upon Thor's request, were injected with a serum to discontinue aging so they would always be fit for a battle. Every one looked at same as they did 25 years ago. Natasha and Clint stood beside Thor, the Black Widow wore a dark blue evening gown that matched Clint's suit and tie. Steve and Tony were wearing tuxedos and bowties, Steve had an American flag pinned in his lapel. Pepper was beside William in a blue dress with her hair curled.

Eve couldn't help but smile when she looked at William in his navy blazer and white pants, he looked like he was going to a yacht party. But they complemented his sandy blond curls and his brown eyes that looked like you could take a mud bath in. Eve almost cringed when she saw herself, her hair was freefalling and down past her shoulders. She had a black button up shirt on with the sleeves stopping just above her elbows, her loose black skirt ended at her knees, she had dark black tights on. Everything was accented with bronze. To her she looked like she was going to a funeral. It was funny how Bruce seemed to always where a purple shirt and grey suit to everything, and she meant everything, too a cocktail party, to a charity service, to brunch, everything.

But Eve left the feast along with everyone else, her room was next to William's like always, she hugged her parents goodnight before leaving to her sleeping quarters. The glorious rooms in Asgard stopped surprising her along time ago, she just threw her luggage on a lounge couch and flopped herself on the bed. She sighed in exhaustion, her limbs felt like a thousand pounds and her body refused to move. But her mind stayed awake, it stayed awake because every time she closed her eyes Loki's glowing crimson ones starred right back at her.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Loki faked his sleep so his mother could leave and get rest of her own, he hated seeing her in such distraught. But soon the nurses filed out, it wasn't like they were doing anything anyway, and the room was left silent.

_"Is she afraid of me."_

_"..."_

_Loki choked and dismissed Thor with a small flick of his hand. "Leave me brother, I do not wish to be bathed in your pity."_

Loki remember the conversation not 2 hours earlier, he didn't regret his words, Odin's hex must've missed that part. Why would he regret them, they were true. Loki didn't need an audience to watch him as his body quietly destroyed itself. But what hurt most was that thought of Evgenia being scared of him.

It's why he let her get so close, because he knew that she was doing it out of the kindness of her own heart, and not out of pity for the young prince. But know she was scared of him, she knew that he was a monster. One thing he didn't quite understand was why she was so close to Thor, she had to be friends of the Avengers, but it still didn't explain why he treated her like a daughter.

He closed his eyes and remembered her face. Her pale skin that was dotted with a few freckles, her hazel green eyes that reflected the stars. Her full lips that had been darkened by her lipstick. Most of all he remembered her beautiful hair, the way its loose copper waves fell down to her shoulders like a metallic waterfall. Her sweet voice echoed in his ears, it was as if he could still hear her.

"Loki." His eyes snapped open when the soothing voice he was just imagining called his name. He studied the form that was in the threshold of the healing room.

Evgenia leaned against the golden archway just as she had when he first saw her. "Are you feeling better?" She asked quietly. Loki closed his eyes and turned his head away.

"Why are you here?" He asked, a dark tone melting in his voice, he was doing the best he could to not look as weak and pathetic as he felt.

"Because." She sighed walking up to the bed. "You're the crying boy in the courtyard." She stood beside the large bed on which Loki lay. "And I said that you're not dying while I'm here. I tend to keep my promises." She bent down, seating her self in a nearby chair, her hand reached for his. At first he flinched but let her wrap her fingers around his palm.

Loki turned his head to her. "You know who I am now. You know what I've done."

 She sighed "I grew up being told to never even whisper your name, never mention you. I was forbidden from any real knowledge of you, not even given a picture of the man I was supposed to be terrified of." She whispered. "Yes, I know what you did. I know the destruction you caused, the pain my father went through."

She paused, looking him over. "You're not the same person as the man that broke my city, threatened my mother, brainwashed my father and sent the world into chaos. Because that Loki wouldn't go hiding in a courtyard to cry out his pain, he wouldn't let a stranger hold his hand and tell him everything was going to be alright."

Loki was speechless, he never knew how to react when people spoke of his malevolent actions of Midgard, he barely even remembered them. "You say." He whispered, squeezing her hand harder. "That I did terrible things to your parents, who were they?"

She didn't respond right away. "My mother is Agent Natasha Romanoff, most elite assassin in S.H.E.I.L.D. My father is Agent Clint Barton, another one of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s most advanced agents. To this day he still refers to you as the spawn of the devil and a lot of tequila."

Memories began to fill Loki's mind, he remembered Romanoff flinching back, he remembered calling her a mewling quim. But Barton, he remembered that more vividly, the way his ghosted eyes looked at him. The way he spoke was almost dead, Loki was positive that he must have felt dead.

"I am sorry, Evgenia." he choked out. "I am so sorry for what I did, for the chaos I caused." he paused. "For being the monster I was." Evgenia remained silent for a moement before she rose and leaned over him.

Her face was above his. One of her hands pushed the sweat drenched hair out of his face. "You are not a monster, Loki." She whispered, her face leaning even closer to his. "You're broken."

She pressed her lips against his, Loki loved the soothing warmth that they gave him, he could taste the strawberry of her lips. He ached for her touch once she lifted her plump lips off his. "And broken things can be healed." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I did a total update to this chapter, with the help of my new and amazing beta Bellapaige88, check her out, she's awesome.
> 
> Anyway, I don't have to put up a 'not beta'd' sign anymore with this story! 
> 
> Feel free to prompt me with this, I can always use ideas!

 

 Evgenia fell asleep. Her head was resting on Loki's shoulder and her hand was still clasped in his, her feet were on the chair she had been sitting on.

 Loki could feel her warm breath on his neck as she slept. His arm was around her shoulder, holding her closer to him. Loki thought about sleeping, about letting himself be just as vulnerable as her, but he couldn't really grasp the situation.

_"And broken things can be healed."_

_Loki looked up at her, trying not to let the tears fall down his cheeks. After everything she knew, everything he told her, she still believed that he wasn't a monster. He raised his hand to her cheek. "You should be sleeping," he whispered, one tear fell. "You shouldn't be here. Go back to your room." He choked out, another tear. "Go back and forget me."_

_Loki saw anger flicker in her hazel eyes, but her face didn't show it._

_Evgenia grabbed his wrist. "Do you still hurt?" she looked down, inspecting his tortured chest but her eyes darted back to him. "Does it still hurt when you move?" She asked, her voice was darkened with something._

_Confused, Loki answered. "I can barely feel anything, except you."_

_Evgenia nodded slowly._

_Loki let out a small gasp of shock when she jumped on him, she was on her knees with one on each side of him. Nimbly she grabbed a dagger she had hid behind her back. She twirled the dagger with her fingers before pressing it against his throat. This, having his life held in someone's hands, was normal. His mind switched from 'I don't want to die, please, don't let me die.' to 'Time to manipulate people.'_

_He smiled, showing off his enlarged canines. "Do it." He hissed, he couldn't count the times he begged for someone to take his life._

_Her face was close to his, less than two inches away. Her gaze was narrowed, slicing him without a blade. "You." She pressed the dagger closer to his neck without drawing blood. "Killed hundreds of people, destroyed my home. My mother has nightmares about the Chitauri." Her voice was dipped in poison, Loki missed this._

_"My father murdered people under your instruction, he killed them without his own free will. I was born two years after you destroyed New York, my father was still having tests run on him, making sure you were out of his head. I cannot forget that."_

_She moved the dagger away from his neck, she surprised him by slicing his cheek before returning the dagger to her belt. It was a small cut, right on his pronounced cheekbone. But then her hands found his face again, one cupped his cheek while the other ran it's fingers through his hair. She began to whisper. "You were crying, tonight, I saw you broken in a courtyard. I saw you throw your helmet, I watched how you rejoiced when it shattered into a million pieces. I asked you if you were alright. I sat beside you and didn't say a word. When you fell I took your hand again and I cradled you in my arms, making sure you were alright. And I cannot forget that."_

_Loki stared into her glittering eyes, this had never happened before. She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes._

_"How am I supposed to forget the man that tortured my family and destroyed so many lives. How am I supposed to walk away from the boy I found shattered in the courtyard?" Her voice was wavering._

_Loki was speechless, he couldn't respond._

_Her eyes opened again, she locked them with his. She waited for an answer, one that would never come from him._

_"I couldn't sleep," she whispered after realizing he wasn't going to reply. "I couldn't sleep because I couldn't forget." Her gaze fell. "Loki, I am trained to forget what happens. I was trained to do what I was told and not ask questions. I am breaking my own code by being here, by staying. Because I cannot forget, not this. And it's killing me because I don't know why."_

_Loki still stayed silent, thinking over his words carefully. "Evgenia." He whispered, her eyes flew back to him. He paused a moment before continuing._

_"Will you accept any apology I give? Will it matter if I mean it or not? Or are you just going to assume that I am lying and dismiss the words I say to you now?"_

_"Are you saying you're sorry because you mean it or because I want you to mean it?"_

_He opened his mouth to respond but his words were cut off by Evgenia's plump lips. This time her touch was electrifying, addicting, he responded to it. Suddenly everything that he had felt melted, the dazed feeling he had from the medicine, the frozen feeling he had from his true form, it all reversed from her touch. Everything felt warm again, alive, he was driven back from his nauseated state straight to her lips. He wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her in closer. His other hand found the back of her neck. He lifted himself up, her along with him._

Loki looked down at Evgenia, her face was so peaceful, so calm. You couldn't see the fiery spirit that burned with in her. He moved a piece of her metallic hair away from her face, just as she had done with him. He sighed, this moment was perfect, if he could live in it forever he would. The medicine was at war with his will to stay up, his eyes felt drowsy but he refused to close them. For some reason he thought that if he stayed awake it would keep her safe, even if he was bedridden, he would fight for her.

And he didn't know why. Something was strange about her, something pulling at his chest. He couldn't figure it out and it was making his situation worse.

In the end, the medicine won and his eye closed for the night.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Frigga found herself at Loki's side the moment she woke, but someone else was already there. The girl who was with Loki before in the courtyard was sleeping beside him now. She couldn't help the smile on her face, she didn't know how much she was healing Loki just from being there.

Frigga didn't wake them, just watched them sleep for a while before wondering about, avoiding Odin at all costs. She couldn't bring herself to look at the man right now, Thor tried to convince her too but she refused. The thought of what he did left a burnt taste in her mouth. So she sat outside and watched the city come alive, it made it easier to breath knowing that the entire realm hadn't suffered as Loki had from Odin's incompetent actions.

Its wasn't till the sun had climbed to noon that she decided to visit Loki and his redhead again. She walked back to the healing room, the atmosphere smelled of conflict, and her pace increased.

Thor was currently holding two Midgardians at bay while Loki was up and leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, he had gone back to his Asgardian form. Another Midgardian was snickering in the corner, while a blond and a dark haired Midgardian were standing in shock by the door. The redheaded girl was talking with, who Frigga had come to know as, Natasha Romanoff. Jane was with them. Darcy and Fandral were discussing things with Loki, and everyone seemed to be in a heated argument.

"Silence!" Frigga called, the room froze, all eyes turned to her. "Now, would anyone care to explain to me what's going on?"

 

A few hours earlier

"Tony, you heard what happened to Loki?" Clint said with his eyes alight.

Tony took another bite of his sausage. "You really like hearing about this, don't you." He had to admit is was wonderful whenever they heard news that Loki was in hurt, but Clint seemed a little too eager about it this time.

"Hey, it brightens everyone's mood when we get news like this, don't say anything to me when I know you're happy about the little shit getting put in his place." Clint took another drink of his early morning wine.

"Hey!" Clint said, he looked like he had a bad idea, he always had those with wine. "Let's go see him!"

Tony looked back at him with a confused face. "You want to go see Loki?"

Clint swatted Tony back. "Common, I've always wanted to see him get what he deserves!"

Tony shook his head. "You're out of your mind, we don't even know where he is."

Clint huffed and took another sip of his wine. "Like that's going to stop me."

Tony sighed. "There's no chance that you are going to change your mind, is there."

Clint shook his head mid sip.

Tony shoulders slumped in defeat. "Being the voice of reason is not a good look for me, we better get this over with quick."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"William, do you know where Eve is?" Natasha asked her nephew eagerly, she had already lost her daughter once but now her bed wasn't slept in and she was no where to be seen, again.

William shook his head, brown eyes full of worry. "Why, has she run off again?"

Natasha nodded. "I don't know what's gotten into her." William bit his thumb, it was an adorable habit of his to do that when he was worried.

"She always excelled with being able to stay hidden, if she doesn't want to be found, you won't find her."

"I know, she's my daughter. I blame myself for her fascination with knives as well."

A weak smile broke on William's face.

"Family!" Natasha heard Thor's booming voice behind her, she whipped around to see him coming in for a hug. She hated hugs, but Thor didn't care. He squeezed her tightly before setting her back on the ground. Thor, the adorable armored teddy bear.

"Hello Thor." She wheezed. He had a broad smile along his face.

"The morning to you, and to you Son of Stark." He nodded to William.

"Thor, do you happen to know where Evgenia is?" Natasha asked, Thor's face fell.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"Darcy, I see no point in us waiting for Jane, she may visit Loki on her own time. But I must see if my dear friend alright." Fandral pleaded, they were waiting for Jane to get ready to visit Loki. The palace went into panic when Thor released the news this morning. Darcy put a finger on his lips to shut him up.

"I am staying here till Jane is ready. You can go now if you are dying to see him so much." Darcy seemed more insensitive than she normally was.

"My sweet Darcy, is everything alright?" He asked, lifting her chin so he could look into her frosty blue eyes. Darcy paused for a moment, then her bottom lip began to wobble. Fandral embraced his wife when he realized just how much Loki's pain had hurt her as well.

"I just don't want to see him like this." She sobbed, her and Loki had become the closest of comrades in the time Darcy had been living in Asgard, they constantly played pranks on the royal family and their friends. Fandral could understand why she didn't want to see her friend in so much pain.

"It will be fine, Loki tends to never stay down so long. Soon he will be back on his feet and you can resume dying Odin's hair blue."

She let out a muffled laugh and hugged Fandral closer to her. "We planned on doing it rainbow for Erik today." She sobbed, Fandral smiled, she never ceased to remind him why he loved her.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Bruce walked out of the hall drowsily, mid yawn.

"Good morning, Bruce. Sleep well?" Steve was sipping the coffee that they had specially brewed for him, Bruce and Tony.

"I guess, considering I didn't go green last night." Bruce picked up a cup of the coffee and sipped it slowly.

"That good. I heard that Tony and Clint are going to sneak off and see Loki." Steve said, he didn't agree with them being so disrespectful, even if it was towards Loki.

"That sounds like someone will be going to the hospital at the end of the day." Bruce sighed, Steve nodded in agreement.

"Do you think we should supervise them?" Steve asked. Bruce sighed and shrugged.

"I don't want to see what Stark and Clint have planned for him, we should probably make sure no one is quietly assassinating a god."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Eve woke up slowly, not wanting to open her eyes just yet. She could feel Loki's long arm around her shoulder and his chest underneath her head. Reluctantly she opened her eyes, sighing in disappointment. The room was bright with a flooding sunlight, it reflected off the gold.  Eve could see three figures by the wall. her vision adjusted and she saw Fandral, Darcy and Jane nervously whispering. Jane flinched when Eve raised her head in surprise. Loki stirred under her.

"Hey Eves!" Darcy greeted, trying to sound happy. With that Loki woke up. At first he didn't notice their audience, but he shot up when he did.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, she could her the embarrassment in his voice, but he kept his arm around her protectively.

Fandral spoke. "Well we were here to see how you were faring, but it seems you have done quite alright by yourself."

An annoying blush snuck up on Eve, she never blushed. It was then that she realized Loki wasn't blue anymore, even now he was beautiful.

Before either one of them could answer three more people barged in. Thor, Natasha and William. She heard the high pitch gasp of her mother and could see the utter shock in her eyes, this is why she shouldn't have opened her eyes. William's normally calm demeanor broke and he began to charge, luckily Thor stopped him.

"Get the hell away from her you monster!" He screamed, his particular use of words didn't help the whole 'you're not a monster Loki' situation, she felt Loki stiffen with anger, but his expression displayed nothing of the sort.

Eve got up. "Calm down Will, its not what it looks like." She thought about it for a moment. "Well, hold on. What do you think it looks like exactly." Because it was what it looked like, she did willingly sleep beside the God of Mischief.

"I think it's pretty apparent what it looks like." Fandral snickered, Darcy backhanded his chest and he shut up with a grunt.

"What did you do to her!" he screamed towards Loki again, the god feigned a hurt expression. "Is it not believable that a girl would willingly share a bed with me?"

Eve sighed, he wasn't helping and he was doing it on purpose. She like the crying boy in the courtyard, but this Loki was undeniably amusing.

"William, just take some deep breaths, I can handle this." Natasha said calmly, this was the part that Eve was really dreading. Her mother walked up to her, everyone was silent for a moment. But then Natasha became the best mom in the world and winked. "I don't blame you." She whispered, Eve finally breathed again. Natasha's stern face returned. "But that doesn't mean I don't deserve answers."

Eve rolled her eyes and nodded.

William's face twisted with disgust and confusion. "How?" he breathed. "How can you be okay with this!" He said louder.

"I respect my daughter's decisions." Natasha said coolly.

"But they're not her decisions! He's manipulating her!"

Loki huffed again.

Eve wondered if he was purposely not helping, he probably was.

"Who's manipulating who?" Eve heard Tony's voice as he and her father strode into the room. Eve's heart plummeted. Why did she have to open her eyes!

"Loki is playing tricks on Eve's mind." William said, voice still furious.

And that's when Clint actually tackled Loki on the bed, his hands were clasped around his throat, but you could see the smile on Loki's face. He really liked chaos.

Thor pulled Clint off Loki, her father's face had turned redder than her hair.

Loki was chuckling even though he was gasping for air. Eve turned to him.

"You really aren’t helping yourself at the moment." She whispered.

He shrugged and lifted himself out of bed, clothes shimmering into place before the blankets could fall off of him completely. He was wearing a dark green loose shirt and flattering tight leather pants.

"Evie, is this true?" Tony asked.

She gave him an innocent shrug and he paused a moment. Then, like the awesome person he is, he just nodded vaguely with a slight approving expression. He leaned on the wall behind him with a small smile on his face.

Bruce poked his head in the door, Steve walked in behind him. "Are we missing something?"

Tony shrugged. "Eve has a godly boyfriend that her father doesn't approve of."

Both Steve and Bruce froze from shock. Now she really wished she hadn't opened her eyes.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

"And that's what happened," Evgenia finished her story on why everyone was currently arguing in the room.

Frigga studied her for a moment before looking back at Loki, who was standing with his hand in Eve's. "All of you are, dismissed." She said, the people stood there for a moment before they started filing out.

Eve was about to leave but Frigga stopped her.

Once the room was empty Frigga sat them down. "Loki, I would appreciate it if you did not provoke any of your enemies for now. I see that the medicine has helped but you look no better then you did last night."

Loki looked as though she had just told a child not to play with a toy.

"Evgenia, may I see your hand." Frigga asked politely, she stuttered before reaching out her right hand. Frigga took it and began inspecting for any signs of what she was looking for. Sure enough she found the binding magic within her veins. "Oh child." She sighed before letting go of her hand. "You are special indeed."

Evgenia looked at Loki, who looked just as confused as she was.

"The hex on Loki is one of a darker origin. But every hex can be reversed, or at least diluted."

They had no idea where she was going with this.

"You pause the hex, you break it for the moments you are near him." Frigga said. "If Loki is to get better then you are the key to his cure."

Eve looked like she had just been dropped in a pool of ice water.

"I must ask you to remain in Asgard."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odin speaks, and Darcy admits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a longer chapter, so I'm happy.
> 
> Give your thanks to the amazing Bellapaige88, I'm serious she deserve a gold metal in the Olympics for how much she did with this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and comment.

 

 Evgenia had stormed out, she couldn’t bare to be in that room any longer, that air had gotten too thick with the pressing silence. She jogged, not having a destination, she just jogged and whipped tears that flew out of her eyes. It was all a blur to her. Her memory was clouded but she could hear Frigga calling back for her as she ran out. She had her eyes open while she ran but couldn't see where she was headed till she was there.

 The courtyard. The clouds blocked the sun but every detail was painfully visible. It was here that she somehow got tied to Loki, it was here that she made the worst and possibly best mistake of her life. Her eyes trailed over the helmet that was shattered into a million pieces at the feet of a statue.

 Broken and shattered, just like him.

 Just like her.

 She wanted to hold his hand again, his large, cold, hand. She wanted to be exactly where she was last night, cradling him in her arms without a worry of who he might be. She missed his blue skin that was lined with ridges that made him all the more interesting and beautiful, she wanted it back. Yet in a way, she didn't. She didn't miss the fear that was pulsing through her veins and she wished she couldn't still hear his painful whimpers as he bit back his screams.

 Somewhere inside the emerald god that was hiding in a healing room was a boy who cried in courtyards. Don't get her wrong, that emerald god was charming and amusing, but she liked the frozen red-eyed boy just as much if not more than the god. So she just had to admit that she adored every single inch of Loki Odinson, the blue sides and the snarky sides and the adorably mischievous sides.

 That made her smile a bit, she remembered the story Loki told her the night before of how he had put Thor in a dress while they were in a council meeting with the ambassador of Vanaheim. She asked him to tell her a story and he did, in trade for one of hers.

 She told him the story of how her and William had snuck into S.H.I.E.L.D when they were younger to get some of the new equipment before anyone else did. They were about 20 and she was doing small missions while he was already working on lower level security systems in S.H.E.I.L.D buildings around the world. It was the first time he had ever stolen anything, but it was child's play to her.

 It was in a November night, the day after her birthday.

 "Quit shivering, Will. It's distracting," she sneered at him while he was clattering his teeth like he wanted to get caught. She was on lookout while he was working on disabling the security from a gate computer.

 "Do be quiet, Eve. I'm working on something for you and I can stop right now if I wanted."

 She rolled her eyes. He had a point, he always did. "Sorry, did I forget to thank you?" She slid a knife out of her belt and flipped it in her hand.

 Will popped his head up from the computer only to give her a cold and hard ‘Will’ Stare.

 She huffed and leaned against the fence, putting the knife back to it's familiar place on her waist. "You know, this isn't a birthday present." He said with his fingers still flying on the holographic keys.

 "Really? I thought breaking in to a high class secret service was the best present in the world!" Because for her it honestly was.

 "No, I got you something else." There was a small chuckle behind his deep voice. She crossed her arms in thought.

 "Are you gonna to tell me?" She asked curiously. He shook his head and smiled. "Now why would I do that?"

 Before she could bring her knife out again, the hologram turned a successful green and the personal gate opened with a beeping sound. She popped off the fence and strutted inside, Will following behind her with less confidence. The lot was empty and cold, a dark wind picked up and blew her hair around her face, getting coppery strands stuck on her lips.

 "Why did we have to do this in November?" Will whined.

 "Because the shipment only comes once a year and I need to get my hands on those plasma daggers," she sighed. "Plus there is new laser operating system that you can play with."

 Evgenia stopped when a door was in her way, she knew better then to check if it was locked. So she stepped out of the way and waited while Will crossed the lot and tripped on stray soda cans. She began playing with her knife to keep busy.

 "Put that away please, I don't want to end up with stab wounds in my side because I typed something in wrong." He said as he came up to the door.

 Evgenia sighed.

 For some reason Will didn't do anything, just stood there with a blank expression on his face.

 "Well..." Evgenia said, moving her head towards the door. "Do your thing."

 Will just pressed his brows in confusion.

 Evgenia let out an annoyed groan. "Common boy, do something!"

 Will shrugged with an innocent expression on his face. "Do what!"

 By this point Evgenia was flailing her arms in frustration. "I don't know, sonic screwdriver it or something!"

 Will rolled his eyes and put his hand on the handle without even touching the security pad beside the door. He opened the door and walked in, leaving her in utter confusion. Before the door closed again she slipped in behind him.

 "What was that?" she asked, it wasn't much warmer in the building.

 "I disabled all the security on the computer, not just the precautions outside." He talked to her as if she was a small child, which he knew got on her nerves. With an angry huff she walked passed him, purposely knocking him with her shoulder.

 Evgenia didn't look back as she headed down the familiar hallway. Her boots echoed along with William's. She got in an elevator, Will was trying to warm himself up, and by the looks of it not succeeding. He had always been less resistant to the cold then her. The elevator when lower and lower until they were on the -12 floor. This was where the new shipments came and where they held till processing and distributing. Beside the elevator was a wall touch pad. She searched through the logs until she found the one holding the daggers she was itching to get her hands on.

 "Common Will, it's on the far left." Evgenia practically cheered and headed off through the storage level, it was piled high with boxes labeled S.H.I.E.L.D and FRAGILE. It was completely dark, but she had adapted to the lightlessness of SHIELD's facilities. Evgenia weaved her way through the boxes in the bitter dark.

 William echoing behind her. “Eve, Leo's calling you." He whispered and she stopped before whipping around to snatch her phone out of his hand.

 She had given it to him so he could call his mother and prove his alibi. Annoyed she answered the call. "Leo, this isn't a good time. I'm breaking into somewhere at the moment."

 "I'm just calling to say happy birthday, didn't mean to interrupt anything." His thick Irish accent sent shivers to her spine. "I just got back from my operation in Brazil, I thought we could celebrate. I don't know, dinner maybe, at McGill's on fourth street."

 She paused a moment before answering, a bit light headed by his offer. "Okay, see you there in 20 minutes." Eve could practically hear the jealousy in William's behavior.

"Alright then, see you there Eve." The way he said her name made her knees weak. She ended the call and bolted towards the door, pushing Will out of her way.

"Eve where are you going?" He called back, Eve stopped and cast her gaze back to her best friend.

"Meeting with Leo." She answered quietly, fully aware of Will's distaste of him.

"Please don't do this Eve." He said sweetly.

"Why?" She bit back defensively, swiveling completely around to face him.

"He's four years older than you!"

"And?" Her cheeks got red from a building anger. William didn't respond, and she didn't want him to. So she just turned heel and got back to the elevator, leaving him standing in a cold warehouse alone.

Looking back on it now, she regretted disregarding Will so quickly, but she was so foolish back then. He had gotten caught after she left. But Tony just laughed and bailed him out.

Eve sat down on one of the stone benches, sniffling. She didn't want to stay in Asgard, she never liked staying anywhere to long. But this was worse, it was either she stayed in Asgard with Loki or he dies.

She wasn't good at these kinds of decisions, that last time she had to decide on something like this the only person she ever loved died and she didn't want to make that mistake again, she _couldn't_ make that mistake again.

But she couldn't stay in Asgard either, she had a job and a family, maybe she didn't have friends but it still wasn't worth leaving behind so she could save a blue god. Without anything else to think about she was stuck on the fact that she was a cure for a curse.

It confused her how that must have happened, how the universe cosmically tied her to Loki. She had no way of figuring it out and it burned a whole in her mind when she couldn't figure something out. Eve rested her face in her hands with a sob of frustration.

For a brief and perfect moment everything was silent, everything had paused, she wished that the sound of a booming voice hadn't interrupted it.

"You will stay with him." She heard the voice before, not many times but enough for her to recognize it. She lifted her head up to see Odin standing with his hands behind his back and a grim shine in his eye.

"You did this to him." She whispered, a dark edge slicing at her words. Odin stood there without a flicker of change in his face. "You made your own son go through this pain, are you happy now?" She stood up, feeling rage burn at her fingertips. Everyone could blame Odin for this, and there was no way he could get out of it, no way he could turn and point the finger at someone else.

"I did what I had to do." He said, voice flat.

"You're ignoring my question." She shook her head. "Do you regret what you did to him?" she asked again.

"Will you stay with him?" a small ounce of emotion found it's way into his words. She couldn't feel sorry for him, not now, he didn't deserve pity. She did know why she felt so angered about what he did, she never met Loki before and had no reason to feel sorry for what he did. But now she couldn't look at Odin without disgust in her throat, the thought of him doing that to his own son was stomach turning.

"Why would I do what you asked?" She bit back. He didn't respond, they were just suspended in a thick silence. She sighed in defeat.

"I will stay." She whispered. "But not for you, never for you. I just want Loki to get better."

Maybe he was too overjoyed to even express it or he really was just that heartless, but the expression on his face stayed the same stony still. "Thank you, Evgenia Barton of Midgard."

_I just saved your son's life and I just get a thank you? Heartless._

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

She didn't go back to Loki and Frigga right away. She stayed in the courtyard alone for a while, just to collect her scattered emotions. But when she had returned to the healing room Loki resided in she found it crowed by bustling nurses. Aware of her gift to dull his curse they let her through.

While she was gone Loki had gotten worse, he was blue again and a very pale shade of it too. He had bandages wrapped around his torso, his inky blood was leaking through the white cloth. In less then second she found herself holding his hand and cooling down his forehead with the Asgardian version of an icepack.

"Evgenia." he called to her through a dazed state.

"I'm here Loki."

He swallowed, looking at her with his glowing red eyes. "Here for good?" He choked

She smiled at him and his blue innocence. "Here for now." She whispered back. Seeing him all broken again in the bed made her realize how much of an affect she had on his condition, how much she made him better. She never wanted to leave if she knew he was going to end up worse then this.

Darcy came in a little after her, just Darcy, no strapping husband in her wake.

"How's he doing?" She said walking in and brushing passed the disappearing nurses.

"Better." Eve said still looking at the now sleeping god.

"Good, because I don't think I can pull of dying Odin's hair a rainbow by myself." Darcy always had a strong and powerful quality to her, something that said no one was going to get in her way. Eve had always admired that about her.

"You really are best friends with him aren't you?" Eve asked her eyes flickering back to Darcy.

"He's actually a lot of fun once you get over the whole glorious purpose thing. But no one likes getting past that armor." She sighed, her clear blue eyes traced over the wreckage of his body before they darted back up to her suspiciously.

"So, you two do it yet?"

"Darcy!"

She shrugged and went back to caressing his hand. "I heard about you link to him, just thought you might have jumped on that horse last night." She let out a depressing sigh. "Wish I had when I had the chance."

Eve didn't really know what to say, so she didn't say anything.

"I love Fandral, I really do. And Mia and Jacks are wonderful, but I always wondered what it would be like to love Loki." Her words where sad, but a warm smile came across her face.

"But I have spent enough time with him to know that you two are perfect."

Eve never doubted Darcy and wasn't about to start, but she couldn't trust her words entirely.

"Why?" She asked desperately, no one had told her why, why she was linked to him, why she was his cure and why he was blue.

"I don't know, you both really like knives." Darcy shrugged, and somehow the simple sentence explained everything she needed to know about him. She felt reassured for some reason, Darcy had that effect on people. So Eve didn't ask anymore questions, just continued to stared at the sleeping god at her side, because right now that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its short I know.

Maybe it was 5:00 or maybe it was 1:00, time escaped Evgenia while she sat by Loki and promptly avoided any notion of her family. Darcy left not to long after she arrived and nurses where coming in and out checking on the sleeping smurf.

So with out a clock (or at least any clock that was even remotely comprehendible for a human) she couldn't really tell what time Loki woke back up.

"Hey Frosty." She whispered with a smile as his crimson eyes fluttered back open. A low rumble of hollow laughter echoed in his chest.

"And hello to you, Copperhead." He sneered. She let out a gasp of feigned offense. "How dare you call me a poisonous snake!" She couldn't finish the sentence without a smile of relief that he wasn't still in his coma like state.

"And how dare you call me 'Frosty'." He mumbled as he struggled to sit himself up. She was about to reach out and help him but he refused her helping hand and got up on his own.

He looked back to Eve with a glowing smile. "I am truly glad you are here, Evgenia."

She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "You'd probably die if I wasn't." He let out a low grunt in agreement as his eyes wondered around the room.

"How does your family fair with your decision to stay with me?"

She looked down, reluctant to answer. "They don't know." She whispered. Loki grasped her hand in sympathy but she just shook her head and collected her emotions.

"It doesn't matter, I'm 25 and I can make my own choices." Loki didn't answer back with a snide remark, just nodded and clutched her hand tighter.

"How long have you been here?" He asked, she shrugged.

"Since you fell asleep."

Worry crept along his face. "You must be famished, let us go and get you some well needed sustenance." He swung his legs over the bed and jumped up, even after his brief comatose state he moved gracefully. He held out his hand for her. She took it and he pulled her up from her chair in a quick motion that sent her straight into his arms.

"Well aren't you the ladies man." She said as he held her close to his bare chest.

"I am nothing compared to Fandral." He said in his elegant voice, he was only wearing his loose trousers low on his hips.

"Surely your not going out in just those." She said, Asgard must have some sort of decency code. He looked down before shrugging and in a swirl of green light clothes appeared.

He was wearing a dark leather vest over on evergreen shirt with gold embroidery. His pants were replaced by tight black leather. The blue had gone and he was back to his milky complexion. "Better?" he asked. She nodded, he was quite the sight.

"Then let's depart for the kitchens." They walked out of the healing room, his arm around her waist. Eve had never been comfortable with public displays of affection, but Loki probably wouldn't listen if she told him to stop, its not like she wanted him to anyway.

He was trying to hide his small limp on his right leg, but she could feel it in his gate as they strode off through a hallway. Evgenia had never stood so close to him, it wasn't till now that she realized how tall he was. He was towering above her 5' 3" height, she looked up at him with her head tilted to far up for her neck's comfort. Out of the corner of his eye he caught her staring at him, she hid her blushing face before he could say anything.

"Loki?" She asked, looking down the hall and way from him.

"Yes." he said majestically.

"Why are you blue?" She whispered. The was a pause in his stride, but it only lasted a brief second.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

The kitchen was hectic, maids and cooks bustled around, promptly avoiding Loki and Eve.

"Now." he said in a thick voice. "What would you like to eat?"

Her eyes surveyed the many tables on which food was being prepared, her brows furrowed when she couldn't find anything she liked. She looked up at him.

"Do you have any fruit?" Eve asked, an amused smile tugged at his lips.

"Let me show you something." he chuckled before gliding out of the kitchen with her hand in his, she glance back with longing. Maybe she should've just eaten the calorie fill pastries on the left table when she had the chance, her stomach gladly agreed with her as the donuts looking fluffs disappeared out of view.

He led her across a large golden breezeway turning left until they where in a steaming greenhouse. Trees stretched to the ceiling, grazing the polished windows with there top branches. Every green was complimented by a fruit of some sort.

"Wow." She said in awe, he grinned.

"Welcome to the palace orchard Evgenia."

2 plums, 6 strawberries, 20 lemonberries and 5 dried mango slices later Evgenia was full beyond her comprehension, her stomach was probably humming a happy tune from finally being acknowledged.

"There is a raspberry patch over there if you-"

Eve cut him off. "No." She gulped. "Please no more food." An adorable smile was turn up on his mouth. They sat at a gold picnic table under some palm trees. If you told her two days ago that she would be having a meal at a golden picnic table with the God of Mischief and Lies under palm trees in an Asgardian greenhouse, well she probably would have cut you for just mentioning Loki.

But here she was, empty plates with fruit stains in front of her and a god at her side. And he was nothing short of Godly, even if he kept repeating that they weren't actually gods, he held himself like one. He had a certain presence, something she couldn't really name, but it was otherworldly to say the least. So to her, despite her atheistic beliefs, he was a god. A very, very hot god, it made her wish he was the one who was hung up on a cross with a loincloth.

"Do you know what time it is?" She asked, silently cursing at herself for not bringing a watch on this trip.

"Close to sundown, why?" He whispered, leaning in close to her, pouncing 'why' in a seductive voice as if he was daring her to answer him. She struggled to keep her voice level with him dangerously close to her.

"Because," She inched her shoulder away slightly. "My family's leaving after dinner." She said, realizing just now how much time she had lost with him. In her defense he was delightfully distracting.

"Then we should be on our way if you wish to speak with them before they depart." he spoke without any mischief residing in his words, just genuine worry. Eve thought about it for a moment, the thought of facing her father with her news drew scars in her stomach.

"I don't know if I want to talk to them." she whispered, her gaze falling with faint shame. Loki paused before wrapping his arm around her and tugging her closer to him. Her face lifted to his as he rested his forehead on hers.

"You do not have to speak with them alone, Evgenia." He whispered. "I have no intension of letting those beastly mortals anywhere near you without my supervision."

She should have slapped him. He had no right to call her family beastly mortals. But she didn't slap him, or stab his lucky ass because his arms were so welcoming she didn't have the conative ability to even think about retreating from his grasp.

"Fine." She said. "But don't try to provoke them this time, okay?"

He rolled his brilliant eyes. "I don't know why I listen to you." She gave him a proud and sarcastic grin.

"Because I'm the only thing keeping you alive!" she said cheerfully.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Her and Loki skipped dinner like the rebels they are, or more like the cowards. She was way to terrified to go anywhere near her dad at the moment. So he led her around the palace, pointing out interesting facts about the history of Asgard that she was destined to forget. But they both knew when the fairy tale ended and people began to file out of the grand dining room.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her, his hand cupping her cheek while his other one gripped her other hand.

"I have to." she answered back. He bent down and brushed his lips over hers.

"Be careful." he whispered before pressing his lips on hers. She pressed back, her hand on the back of his neck was pulling him in deeper. It was a perfect moment where nothing could get to them, except for the shadow in the corner of her eye that stopped dead.

"Evie." Her father's voice stopped the intimate moment. She closed her eyes, reluctant to accept the reality that he had just caught her kissing the man that destroyed Manhattan. She bit her lip, prolonging her time before her father had his inevitable outburst.

"Dad," She whispered, turning to him. "Please." Her sentence was cut off by her fear of what he was going to say. His face was a mixture of pain, disappointment and resentment.

The explosion she had been waiting for didn't come. Her father just stared at them, shadows creeping over his eyes.

"Mr. Barton, I know how much of a shock this is to you, but-" Her father cut Loki off.

"I don't want to hear from you, I want Evgina to tell me." He snarled. Eve swallowed hard, but stepped up.

"He's not the same man you knew back then. He wasn't in the right mind at the time, but he is now." Eve paused, trying to figure out how to explain the whole cosmic cure fiasco.

"He needs me here." She stated clearly and with a firm tone. Her father's brows knotted with confusion, or anger, either one would make sense. "And I am staying here." She ended. Her father was frozen in a perpetual state of shock and anger, he looked like Fury on one of his bad days.

"Do you know what this man did to me?" He said, cracks beginning to form in his silent demeanor. Evgenia wanted to hang her head, she knew full well what Loki had done. But she didn't, because the god beside her wasn't the same one who broke an entire city in thirty minutes.

"What he did to your mother, to Tony? Can't you realize that he's playing with you? Messing with your mind just as he did to me?" Her father pleaded. Eve shook her head.

"He's not, I know he's not. And if I figure out he is than I can kill him, you cant worry about me. Not anymore." Loki stared down at her, he looked a bit offended but that wasn't the issue at the moment.

"You have a job. A stable life, you are not staying here." he ordered her like a small child.

She stared at him in shock, he never ordered her. He never told her what to do, not anymore. She shook her head and faintly whispered. "No."

"Excuse me?" He hissed.

"I said no!" She repeated, openly yelling at him. Maybe it wasn't exactly the right descision, but she was too overwhelmed to care. Evgenia stormed out, leaving Loki and her father behind.


End file.
